MIDS Program: 2016 Status Report

When we launched the Master of Information and Data Science (MIDS) program in January of 2014, we knew that we were taking a calculated risk. The data science field was gaining momentum, but there weren’t many established professional data science master’s degree programs in existence. This presented the I School with the opportunity to be one of the first movers in the space and, consequently, carve out a unique role in shaping the future of data science education.

In the two years since the program began, we have been monitoring its progress closely and submitting annual program updates to the university’s graduate division. What we have learned about the datascience@berkeley program and our students through the creation of these reports has been impressive, and I wanted to share our accomplishments with you. Here are some of the highlights:

Initiatives have launched that are diversifying our student body and leveraging the unique opportunities offered by delivering the program online.

August 2015 graduates report a median salary of $120,000, a 65 percent increase over the median salary of this cohort when they entered the program.

Along with our program partner, 2U, we have built a degree program on the forefront of an important, emerging industry and we have found a model that scales and adapts with the industry itself. We look forward to the next two years and the two after that, and we can’t wait to see how our graduates use the power of data to change the world.